Recently in Australia, another media skirmish erupted over the problem currently called "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder". This particular event was precipitated by the comments of a respected District Court judge. His claim that doctors are creating a generation of violent juvenile offenders by prescribing Ritalin to young…

Lawrence Mead addresses the problem of nonwork among low-income men, particularly low-income black men, and its implications for families and children. The poor work effort, he says, appears to be caused partly by falling wages and other opportunity constraints but principally by an oppositional culture and a breakdown of work discipline. Mead…

Intergroup dialogue (IGD), the focus of this monograph, is one of several dialogue and deliberation practices currently being used on college and university campuses in the United States. The introductory chapter introduces IGD, its historical roots, its location among similar diversity education practices, and its core components. The subsequent…

This paper discusses how the rhetoric of "diversity" is mobilised within New Labour HE policy discourse around widening participation (WP). The paper argues that these constructions of diversity derive an important element of their symbolic power from an association with notions of "equality"--and yet the radical/egalitarian…

Schools are seen as having a central role to play in the "Every Child Matters" (ECM) effort, which many are finding somewhat challenging, an additional pressure and something of a departure from their usual role. One way forward may be to help schools make links between ECM and other activities with which they are starting to engage but…

This paper reports on the "Fair Go Project", research into student engagement among primary school students living in poor communities in South-Western Sydney, Australia. Taking as a starting point recent work into classroom pedagogies ("Productive Pedagogies") and drawing on Bernstein's concept of classrooms as message…

This paper explores issues in the teaching of boys within a gender just framework. It identifies the productive pedagogies model as an appropriate means by which the specifics of boys' education can be considered. It avoids essentialist accounts of boys' pedagogies to suggest that pedagogies directed towards boys have to foreground issues of…

This case presents contemporary issues confronting a school district where school leaders must take a role in leading staff to develop greater insight into issues of social justice. The story is set in a suburban village school district that has recently seen an influx of immigrants moving into the community. The school district needs to change…

This article reports on a study into the ideological beliefs of first year prospective teachers. Here ideologies are understood as expressions of specific "world views" and certain collective interests. Data were drawn from tasks that attempted to get students to position themselves relative to and reflect upon questions and propositions…

Ways in which membership in student organizations, both predominantly Black and mainstream, provide space for Black identity expression and development were explored in this study. Based on individual interviews conducted with African American male student leaders at six predominantly White universities, findings reveal a nexus between Black…

Assessing students' aptitude and educational performance and grading them on a hierarchical scale is a universal feature of the schooling process. In light of grades' instrumental, motivational, and symbolic saliency in students' school experience, it is not surprising they are highly "valued goods," and the process of their fair or…

Historically, reform efforts to address poor student achievement have focused on a variety of issues other than teacher quality. Movements such as TQM (Total Quality Management), class size reduction (CSR), school leadership, parental involvement, and multicultural curriculum have not directly addressed the power or influence of the individual…

Thomas Jefferson recognized the value of reason and scientific experimentation in the eighteenth century. This chapter extends the idea in contemporary ways to standards that may be used to judge the ethical propriety of randomized trials and the dependability of evidence on effects of social interventions.

By revisiting the work of the Black Caucus and the radical rhetorics connected to Black Power and the black radical tradition, in this essay the author hopes to rebuild a frame where the picture of an African-American-vernacularized paradigm for critical literacy and social justice can emerge. She revisits the twinning of "Black Power/Black…

A prominent leader in the movement towards restorative approaches in juvenile justice presents cutting-edge practices for community service. Such programs balance community safety, accountability for behavior, and development of the competency of youth. This article describes the benefits and challenges of implementing this model and suggests the…